The six unions are the Congress (I)'s Indian National Trade Unions Congress, Centre for Indian Trade Unions of the CPM, United Trade Union Congress, UTUC (Lenin Sarani), the CPI's All India Trade Unions Congress, and the Hind Mazdoor Sabha. The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), the seventh central trade union in the industry, is supporting the demands but is undecided on the strike. The BMS is affiliated to the Bharatiya Janata Party. The decision was taken at the All India Coal Miners' Joint Convention held in Asansol in West Bengal on April 2.

According to trade union sources, more than 1,000 delegates from all over the country attended the meeting. The Citu's Haradhan Roy said on Sundaythat the notice for the strike and stoppage of despatch would be issued on April 15.

The main demand in the charter adopted at the convention is that the Government should reverse the policy of privatisation. Meanwhile, the president of the ECL unit of the Coal India Officer's Association, Tapan Mazumdar, said that the CIOA would support the strike call by the trade unions and will issue instructions to all its members to support it. The trade unions have demanded withdrawal of the proposed amendments to the Coal Mines Nationalisation Act of 1973, restoration of customs duty on imported coal to 1989-90 levels, and withdrawal of freight concessions for imported coal and reorganisation of Coal India on the lines of Steel Authority of India Ltd.